Contemplation
by AdmHawthorne
Summary: Maura talks to Bass about Jane, their relationship, and their future. Rizzles. One shot.


**One shot. Wrote it on my own, which means that nothing's been proof read. You've been warned. ;-)**

**Characters aren't mine. They belong to Tess, Janet, WB, TNT, and other assorted important people.**

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><p>"I told Mother about Jane yesterday," Maura commented quietly as she tidied up around her home. Bass, for his part, sat quietly underneath the coffee table and listened. "It went better than I expected but not as well as I had hoped."<p>

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the throw pillows into their proper place on the sofa before moving to dust the furniture. "Mother asked me why, and, at first, I thought she meant why a woman, but she quickly corrected my mistake. Apparently," she dropped down to the ground with a grunt to tackle polishing the table legs in the living room, glancing over to make sure Bass was still listening, "Mother has had female lovers in the past. I did not know that, and I'm very surprised. She's not one to share, but I do wish she'd told me that sooner than now." She leaned back on her heels to consider. "Actually, it would have been helpful to know around the age of 13."

With a shrug and a sigh, she went back to polishing. "What she meant was, 'Why Jane Rizzoli', which, I suppose, is a valid question. Much to my relief, the question was not posed to suggest that Jane is a poor choice. I truly believe Mother was simply curious."

Tossing the bottle of polish and cloth onto the top of the coffee table, Maura laid down on her stomach to look underneath the sofa and chairs. "What really amazes me about the situation was she accepted my reasons without argument, which is very unlike Mother." She pulled a few pieces of trash from under the sofa, balled it into her fist, and sat up to lean her back against the piece of furniture. Tossing the trash to join the polish, she gave a heavy sigh as she looked down at the tortoise looking up at her.

"I told her," she said as if he had asked, "that my reasons for choosing Jane were many and complex. Jane's just so many things, often conflicting in nature, that I find to be utterly," she stopped talking, closing her eyes and leaning back until her head rested on the seat cushions behind her. "She leaves me without words, Bass, and I think that, above all else, is why I choose Jane."

She chuckled. "I sound like a teenager, don't I? Well, I suppose it can't be helped. It's how she makes me feel. She _makes_ me feel, which is something that I can't recall ever happening." Opening her eyes, she stared at the ceiling, eyes roaming over the textured surface as she continued to ramble on. "I told Mother that. I also told her that Jane had all the qualities I could ever want in a partner. She's strong, fearless, kind, nurturing – even though she, herself, would disagree, possessive in a way that I not only like but need in my life, protective of her loved ones, selfless, and so many other things."

Looking back down, Maura noted that Bass's head was turned toward the front door. "I don't know when she's coming home. She's on stakeout. But I do hope it's soon. I've gotten to a point where I have difficulty sleeping when she's not beside me. I think," she stood, grabbing the things she'd tossed onto the coffee table as she did so, "that one of the reasons I decided to tell Mother about my relationship with Jane is because I'm ready to ask Jane to move into our home… my home." She shook her head as she headed to the kitchen.

"Do you hear me, Bass? I'm already calling this house 'our home', as if she's said yes!" Tossing the trash away and putting everything back in its proper place, the doctor thought in silence for a bit. As she washed her hands, she began to speak again. "You know we'll have to tell people if she did say yes. I can't think of a way to justify Jane moving here to Angela who, come to think of it, _is_ living in my guest house. That could all become very awkward, couldn't it?"

She began pulling food out of the fridge. "I think I'll bake a cake while I wait for Jane. She's fond of Italian Cream cakes." Maura smirked. "So am I, in a manner of speaking." Chuckling at her own joke, she began setting out ingredients, bowls, and other assorted items needed to bake said cake. "I hope Jane isn't angry with me that I told Mother, but I simply had to. It was… it was time, Bass. I just hope that, if Jane says yes, the rest of the family takes the news as well as Mother did."

As she measured out the ingredients, the honey brunette smiled broadly. "I have a family now," she said, clearly delighted. "I'm a part of _her_ family. There's just so much love there, Bass. Don't you think?" She glanced over to where her tortoise had last been seen. He was still there, and he was still looking toward the door. "Soon, I hope," came the answer to the unspoken question of when Jane would be home.

Time passed quickly as Maura mixed the batter, baked the cake, prepared the icing, and waited for the cake to cool before icing it. As she waited, she flipped through a few magazines, smiling as she came across a _Sports Illustrated_. She had bought the subscription specifically for Jane, who had been so pleased she'd spent several hours showing the doctor just _exactly_ how pleased she was.

While icing the cake, Maura hummed gently to herself. She knew Jane would be delighted by the dessert when she finally made it home, and it made the doctor happy to think of how happy the other woman would be. As she put away the final cleaned dish from her baking exploit, the front door opened, and closed gently.

"Something smells really good," Jane commented as she walked into the kitchen. "Is that an Italian Cream Cake?"

"Yes, I made it while I waited for you to get here. How did the stakeout go?" Maura cut a generous piece, poured a mug of freshly brewed coffee, and set them on the island for the detective.

"We still have nothing, but he's got to show up eventually," the dark haired brunette answered as she took a bite of the cake. "This. Is. Amazing." Her dulled eyes brightened up. "Thank you for making this."

"I was happy to," Maura replied as she sat down at the island. "Bite?"

"Yes," a smiled finally broke across Jane's tired features as she fed a bite of cake to Maura. "So, what's the occasion for the cake?"

Maura shrugged. "You came home."

"That's not special. I come here all the time," the detective shook her head and took another bite.

"Yes, but… Jane, I told Mother about us yesterday." Shifting on the barstool, Maura waited with baited breath to see how Jane would react.

Jane paused in mid-motion of drinking her coffee, slowly set the mug down, and turned toward the other woman. "What did she say?"

"She told me that she was glad I had chosen someone who clearly cares about it, can protect me, and makes me feel as I do. She said it's rare in life to find someone that stimulates on a physical, emotional, and intellectual level, and, if you are that person for me, that I should consider myself very lucky. She also told me to tell you that she trusts you'll not hurt me, but, if you do, she has high connections." At the last part, Maura smiled. "I believe Mother likes you, Jane."

"Yeah, that's the feeling I'm getting from that last bit. Pure like." Setting her fork down, Jane pushed the half eaten cake away from her. "At least she took it well."

Frowning, Maura chewed her bottom lip for a moment as she watched Jane. "You're not angry I told someone without consulting with you first?"

"No. I mean, I probably should be, but I suppose we'll eventually have to tell people, right? I mean, this thing is getting pretty serious. We've been dating for over half a year now, and I don't think we're about to stop any time soon. So, maybe it's time?" The detective shrugged.

Maura gave a bright smile, pleased that things were going well. "In that case, I have something to ask you."

"Oh God," Jane moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, hit me."

Ignoring the detective's dramatics, Maura said gently, "Move in with me?"

"_What?_" Jane's eyes grew wide, voice cracking with shock and surprise. "Move in with you? Maura I don't… I mean, Ma is right… I mean, you and I aren't… wow, okay. Hold on a sec." She stood and paced in small space beside the island. After a few pensive moments, she turned to face the quietly waiting woman still seated. "Yes."

"Yes?" Maura was confused. Jane's actions were hard to follow, and her reasoning was nonexistent.

"Yeah." Jane nodded. "Yes, I'll move in with you. But you have to let me pay for something, and we'll have to tell the family. Oh God," she groaned. "this is going to be a production. Ma's going to push us to get married. You know that, right?"

Maura smiled again, laughing lightly. "The thought had crossed my mind."

"Okay, let's just…. I don't want to deal with that drama tonight. Let's make a game plan on the whens and wheres of telling the family and when I can move in, but let's do it tomorrow. Once we've got it all figured out, we can get it over with." Jane stopped pacing and reached out for Maura's hand. "Let's go to bed now."

"Okay, but let me put the cake away. I'll meet you there as soon as I can. Will you take a shower before we go to bed?" Maura took the offered hand, stood, and then began to clean up.

"Yeah, I smell like CK One. Frost needs better taste in cologne. I'll see you in few?" Jane headed toward the master bedroom, not waiting to hear the reply.

"Yes," Maura called back. When the bedroom door clicked shut, Maura gave a sigh of relief. "Well, Bass, what do you think?" The tortoise's head was pointed in the direction of the bedroom Jane had just entered. "Yes, I think we'll make a good family, too, so long as you don't bite Jo's tail again. You two have to start getting along better. Jane's about to move in, and… goodness. Life just got more complicated, didn't it?" Closing the refrigerator and going over her house once more to make certain everything was locked for the night, she sighed heavily. "Well, a complicated life with Jane is much better than a sedate life without her. Good night, Bass. Try not to trip Jane tomorrow morning when she comes in for coffee, please. We don't need a repeat of last week."

With those parting words, the doctor entered the bedroom to join her girlfriend.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! I always love your reviews. :-)<strong>


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